A Light That Guides, A Warmth That Heals
by Undead Horus
Summary: Although Izuku Midoriya may not be quirkless, he is struggling to find a way to become the type of hero he wants to be. He wants to light up the world like his Idol, All Might, and with the help of those around him, he may do just that.
1. Chapter 1

**A Light That Guides, A Warmth That Heals**

Chapter 1

The snow fell lightly, at times so slowly it seemed to be floating rather than falling. He walked along unconcerned, and why should he have been? The snow always melted before it could touch him. He hadn't felt cold in a very long time-almost so long that he'd forgotten what it feels like. It's his quirk, of course. He produces a much higher body temperature than most people. It can be very convenient, but he can't help being disappointed. All he wants- all he has ever wanted- is to be a hero. He knows that his quirk isn't powerful, but his will is stronger than any, so he won't give up.

"Izuku!"

A Shout interrupts his thoughts. He turns and sees his closest friend, Katsuki Bakugo, running towards him. He gives a wave and replies, "Hey Katsuki." Izuku's friend looked angry, as always. They had been close friends since childhood. Katsuki was the green-haired boy's biggest supporter. Any time that he felt like giving up, Bakugo gave him a whack to the back of the head and reminded him that they were going to U.A together. At least, that's what the blonde boy always said. He still has a hard time believing that he can really get into a hero course as amazing as that of U.A, but he'll be damned if he doesn't try.

As they were reaching the school grounds, after a mostly silent walk, Katsuki once again speaks up, "Any luck on figuring out how to use your quirk in combat?"

"Unfortunately, no. That is, unless the villain can also be defeated by your everyday, generic space-heater, or maybe a flashlight, since I've managed to make myself glow a little using my warmth."

He immediately felt a light slap to the back of his head. "Don't be so negative, dumbass. If anyone can figure out a new way to use that quirk of yours, it would be you. You spend so much time studying heroes and quirks that even I get creeped out by it."

Izuku knew that he meant well, but the reminder at the amount of time he spent studying quirks only disheartened him further. He had spent so much time looking at so many different quirks-their properties and applications, both normal and strange, and a new way to use his quirk still eluded him. It was extremely troubling, especially with the U.A entrance exam being only a bit over a year away.

Katsuki could tell that Izuku was once again beginning to worry. His head was bent towards the ground a little, and what sounded suspiciously like dejected mumbling was coming from his mouth, so he handled it the way he knew best- a good, solid slap on the back. The boy immediately straightened up, shouting, "Hey! What the hell, Katsuki?"

"Relax, nerd. You're overthinking things. You're trying too hard to figure out exactly how to use your quirk. Focus more on what you want to do with it. If you focus completely and totally on attacking or fighting something, your body will respond with the best action you can create. Once you've handled that step-that's when you can start thinking up some fancy shit to do with your quirk."

This was yet another reminder to Izuku that Katsuki wasn't nearly as stupid as he seemed. While aggressive and rash, the boy was anything but stupid. He often provided new insight from a perspective that Izuku often had difficulty seeing. The blonde was incredibly gifted and had amazing intuition. Sometimes, it makes Izuku jealous, but he knows that the two of them fit so well together for exactly that reason. Katsuki handled immediate, powerful action. He was strong and he wasn't afraid to throw his strength around. Izuku was a master of strategy. He did enough thinking for the both of them, and he wasn't afraid to throw his weight around a little if necessary, either. They worked well together, despite their personalities being so different.

Izuku scratched the back of his head, a little sheepishly. "Thanks, Katsuki. I really needed that. I'm sure I'll be able to come up with something by exam time."

"No shit! Just don't make me remind you again, or I'll beat your ass." Clearly, he was back to his normal, violent self, but it was just the reminder that Izuku needed. He wasn't going to give up any time soon.

* * *

~~3 months later~~

* * *

There were 10 months left until the U.A entrance exam and Izuku was finally feeling like he was getting close to a breakthrough with his quirk. He has managed to focus his inner body heat to certain parts of his body and project it outwards, and he thinks that if he can produce enough heat he will be able to se flame to the air around his body, allowing him to create flaming strikes. However, although he believes his idea is sound, he is having trouble putting it into action.

For what could be the hundredth time that week, Izuku asks Katsuki about his quirk, "Katsuki, is there any way you can explain to me how you manipulate the intensity of your quirk at will?"

"I told you, nerd. I don't think about it so much. I just do it. Quirks are like muscles. When I want to create a larger or more intense explosion, I just stretch the muscle a little further. You're thinking about it too much."

At this point class was about to start, so they had to stop their conversation and take their seats. It was just another normal day at school, but Izuku's mind was racing the entire time, as it had been for the past few months. He needed to figure out how to use his quirk in combat, and he was so close. He had set fire to kindling and a few other objects, even from a small distance, but he needed to be able to set fire to the air near his body, and he wasn't quite there yet.

If there was one positive to his continued frustration, it was that he had been continuously feeling out the limits of his quirk. He had spent a few nights staying up trying to get his quirk to work and quickly found out the cost of overusing his quirk. As he expended his body heat, pushing it into the atmosphere around him, he cooled down his internal body heat. If he pushed it too far, he quickly felt very chilled, shivering and shaking uncontrollably, especially because his body was used to even higher temperatures than most people. He felt that, if he were to overuse his quirk too much, it could cause shutdowns inside his body from the lack of heat-hypothermia.

The green-haired boy wrapped up his musings as class was finishing for the day. It had been mostly reviewing material today, which was good, as it gave him more time tonight to work on his quirk. He needed all the time he could get, after all. He met up with Katsuki momentarily to tell him that he was going to go work on his quirk, and then they parted ways. Izuku liked to work in a park slightly out of the way. There were fewer distractions, and there was a nice concrete basketball court for him to work on so he didn't set any plants on fire by accident.

As he was walking through a tunnel, he heard a metallic clang coming from behind him and quickly turned around to be greeted by the sight of a slimy substance sliding out of a now open manhole. It looked incredibly disgusting. It was colored like polluted water and looked incredibly viscous. The substance slowly took a vaguely humanoid shape, eyes appearing in what Izuku supposed must have been its face.

As the creature solidified a bit more Izuku felt a terrible dread settling in the pit of his stomach. A garbled voice came from the creature, "You look like a nice skin sack. Perfect to hide in until the coast is clear!" Dread turned to terror as the creature rushed at him very quickly-much more quickly that the boy thought it could move. It wrapped around him and quickly restrained him, then began trying to suffocate him.

Izuku knew he had to act quickly. There was no telling if or when a pro hero would arrive. He had to fight to survive. He raised his internal temperature as quickly as possible, and instantly began to project it from his body, pushing it out everywhere he could, hoping that the heat would hurt the liquid-form villain enough to allow him to escape and look for more help. However, it seemed to be to no avail, as the creature said, "Hey you're pretty hot aren't ya, kid? If I were a normal person I'd have to let go of ya for sure, but being the way I am makes me much more resistant to extreme temperatures. I can soak up all that heat you're puttin' off like its nothin'. Sorry, but you're toast!"

Izuku could feel his heartrate rising as the panicked. Surely there must be something he can do. He needs to survive. He had to! He raised his temperature to new heights, known not even to himself. For a moment the villain loosened his grip, and Izuku immediately struggled desperately to escape, but the monster quickly adapted to the new heat, wrapping even more tightly around Izuku, strangling him once again.

The boy could feel his a cold begin to spread within him, and he knew that he was running out of time. As his body cooled down his mind began to fade. He could see the villain's mouth moving. Perhaps it was laughing. However, Izuku could only hear his heartbeat as it began to slowly down. Blackness crept in from the edges of his vision.

Then, suddenly, someone appeared before the pair, and suddenly the green-haired boy felt hope. Someone was there! Maybe he would survive after all. In a moment of clarity, Izuku's vision sharpened, and his hearing returned. He recognized the man instantly, and he knew it would be ok, especially as he heard the words, "Do not worry. You are safe. Now that **I** **am here** , that is."

 _All Might had arrived._

As the inevitably short battle between the villain and the symbol of peace began, Izuku passed out from the combination of being strangled, and the exhaustion of over-using his quirk. This event, not that he knew it yet, would be the catalyst which started the rest of his life. The life of a hero.

* * *

~~After Izuku Wakes Up~~

* * *

Izuku grunted as he sunlight began filtering into his eyes. Where was he? What was he doing? Slowly, the memory of his encounter with the sludge monster and All Might returned, and he jumped awake. His eyes shot open to see the face of All Might, his idol, right above him. He jumped back a bit from the shock, and All Might began laughing. The enormous man finally spoke after a moment, "That was a close one! Thought we lost you there, but you seem to be moving around alright!" He laughed again, and Izuku instantly began searching his backpack for his notebook. He pulled it out and said, "Thank you so much for saving me, All Might! If it isn't too much to ask, would you mind signing my notebook?"

The man whipped a pen out of his pocket and signed the notebook with the practiced ease that came with being the world's most popular pro hero. He stared at the signature, entranced by the mark of the man who inspired him to lead the life he did. There were so many things he wanted to ask him. More than anything, he wanted reassurance that he could be a hero, and if possible, he wanted to know if the man had any thoughts on how he could use his quirk. Perhaps the insight of a pro hero could provide something he had not yet been able to think of himself which would allow his quirk to flourish.

As Izuku opened his mouth to ask All Might that very question, the man cut off his question with his inspiring voice, "I must be going now, young man! I wish you the best of luck!" He turned around, preparing to launch himself into the air. Desperation began to swell up in the young boy's chest. He needed to ask All Might about his quirk. Standing before him was the one man who he thought, above anyone else, would be able to help him. He couldn't just go. Not now. Not like this.

Therefore, as the symbol of peace prepared to take off, Izuku ran, ignoring the man's warnings about the force which was about to come. He latched onto the man's legs just as he took off. The speed was incredible. The pair was instantly soaring above the city at speeds Izuku couldn't believe. All Might finally seemed to notice him and began trying to push him off, but Izuku's panicked voice quickly said, "I'm sorry I latched onto you, but if I let go now I'll fall and die!"

All Might instantly realized that the two were, of course, flying at great speed and height, and knew that the boy, of course, couldn't just let go. The Symbol of Peace responded, "All right. I'll land us somewhere safe. Just, close your mouth and eyes." Izuku ducked his head closer to block the wind and, as the man turned to watch where they were going, had a bad feeling settle in the pit of his stomach. At first it was guilt, but when a drop of blood flew back and hit Izuku in the face, despite All Might's apparent lack of injury, the feeling only grew worse. Little did he know, things were much worse than he could possibly imagine.


	2. Chapter 2

**A Light That Guides, A Warmth That Heals**

Chapter 2

Izuku fought to regain his breath on the roof of the building All Might had landed them on. As he took another deep breath, he heard All Might say, "Not a very smart move, young man. Knock on the door and someone will let you in. Now, I must be off."

The green-haired boy felt his chest tighten up, like his heart was screaming at him to do something. _'Please don't leave yet..'_

Izuku shouted to him, "Please, wait just a second! I need to ask you something."

All Might's reply was firm and instantaneous, "I don't have time right now! I really must be going!"

 _'I need to know..please..'_

"Can I still be a hero, even if I have a weak quirk? Can I still save people with these weak hands of mine?"

All Might stopped moving immediately, turning his head to stare back at the young man whose life he had saved less than an hour before. The young boy who, now, was asking him if he could become a hero. As he looked at the boy, eyes full of hope and passion, he was reminded of himself at a younger age. However, before he could finish that train of thought, he felt his insides clench up, and steam began to rise from his body just as Izuku began explaining how badly he wanted to be like All Might.

When the green-haired boy finally looked up from his speech, he saw a scrawny man in All Might's place. The man's eyes were sunken and tired. His cheeks were hollow and he looked to be little more than a skeleton. Izuku's brain went into overdrive trying to come up with an explanation for what could have happened. He...well...he kinda freaked out a little.

The man standing in All Might's place seemed to take everything in very calmly, despite accusations that he was a fake. It was a fair assumption, he supposed, considering the situation. He let out the long sigh of a man who has seen too much and slowly slumped against the fence along the edge of the roof, finally settling into a sitting position.

He stared at Midorya for a moment, intense eyes unnerving the boy, then finally spoke, "I assure you that I am, in fact, All Might." He lifted his shirt, showing off what appeared to be the remains of a horrendous injury. It was patchy and covered in purple scar tissue. "I got this injury in a big fight a five years back. I wasn't able to recover. It can't be cured, and because of it, I can only perform as a hero for about 3 hours every day. The rest of the time, I look like this." His shoulders seemed to slump as he finished his explanation, almost as if he were disappointed with himself.

The young boy's eyes were filled with shock. He thought, _'How can this be? All Might has never come close to being defeated before. At least, not that I've seen.'_ After a moment thinking, Izuku asked All Might, "Five years ago? Was it the fight with Toxic Chainsaw?"

All Might replied, "You know your stuff kid, but no. He may have landed a few hits, but he couldn't do anything like this. It was a different fight. One I did everything I could to keep under wraps. As for your question, I could use a little more detail. What kind of quirk do you have?"

Izuku quickly answered his idol, "My quirk allows my body to have a very high temperature. I can expell that heat from my body, and it helps make me fairly resistant to both heat and cold. I know it isn't much, but is there any way I can save people the way you do? With a fearless smile that brings joy and security?"

All Might seemed to fall deep into thought, but he spoke after only a moment, "That smile is full of fear. For pro heroes, the pressure is always high. Lives are at stake. We must show confidence and inspire security. I smile to hide my fear. As for your question about whether or not you can be a hero, I would like to say that it is not so black and white as yes and no, young man. I'd say that your quirk has potential. It may not be as obvious as the uses for mine, but I'm sure you could find some. However, you seem to lack confidence in yourself and in your quirk, and that is often the downfall of many heroes. So, I would say that, until you gain some confidence in yourself and your quirk, you certainly cannot become a hero."

All Might's words took Izuku on a rollercoaster of emotions. He felt elated as his idol recognized the potential of his quirk, but it all came crashing down when he heard the words, "You cannot become a hero."

Said idol was walking towards the door, and as he made his way out, he said, "I can see that you have a dream, young man. The only advice I can give you is this- Prove me wrong. Prove that you have what it takes." After that, the door slammed shut, and Izuku sat there alone, all kinds of emotions clashing inside him.

Eventually, it all solidified into one feeling-determination. It was intense. His passion to become a hero had never been more intense that it was in that moment. He rose from his sitting position, staring out into the horizon as he starting thinking on how to put his newfound determination to work. However, before he could fall too deep into his thoughts, the sound of an explosion echoed across the city, and then he saw smoke start rising into the sky.

 _'A villain attack..I should go!'_

~~At the scene of the attack~~

Izuku ran up to the scene of the emergency. He could hear panicked shouts from all directions. Buildings were on fire, and it seemed the heroes were in something of a desperate situation. He tried to look over the crowd, and was able to catch a brief glance of the villain. It was the sludge villain that had attacked him earlier. The same villain that had been captured by All Might. But now, the villain was clearly free. All Might had dropped the villain while trying to deal with him.

 _'That means...it's my fault.'_

He felt his heart drop into his stomach as panic set in. He heard whispers about the villain having captured a child, and the tightening in his chest only felt worse. His stomach felt sick and his hands shook. He felt that, were the child to die, the death would be on his hands.

 _'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please hold on just a little longer. Someone will come to save you. I'm sorry!'_

As he was panicking, he heard the croud start talking about All Might. Someone brought up the fact that All Might was chasing the villain earlier, and Izuku only felt more guilty. Then he looked over the crowd again.

This time he got a much clearer view of the villain, as well as the victim. A gasp left his mouth as he recognized just who it was- his best friend, Katsuki Bakugo. The boy who had been his best friend for as long as he could remember. There was no time to think. He could only act.

He ran through the crowd and burst onto the scene, sprinting towards Bakugo. He shouted, "Kaachan!" The boy looked up groggily, clearly being affected by the lack of oxygen. Izuku remembered that his heat wasn't able to hurt the villain last time, so he ran into the flames, hoping to raise his body heat for a larger burst into the villain.

As he ran, he lobbed his backpack into the eye as the villain before it could strike him. The villain recoiled, finally giving Bakugo a chance to breathe. He shouted as Izuku reached the villain. "Deku, what the hell are you doing here? You're gonna get yourself killed, you dumbass!"

Said dumbass shoved his hands ass deep as he could into the fluid body of the villain, releasing the heat he had stored inside his body as fast as he could. The villain's body heated up so quickly that he instantly recoiled, pulling the part of his body that was in front of Bakugo's torso away.

While all this was happening, All Might was watching from the crowd, amazed at the courage of the young boy he had just minutes before been reprimanding. As he watched the child attempt to pull the blonde boy out of the villain, and he could tell that he had used too much energy to have any chance of succeeding, he heard a few simple words.

 ** _"I couldn't just stand there and watch you die."_**

Those words shook the emaciated man to his very core. Those words encompassed everything that being a hero was to him. To save a life, no matter the cost, was the most important thing he could do. He forced his hero form to appear, rushing in and saving the boys, and as he watched them walk home together, his eyes focused on the back of the man he had saved earlier that day, and he knew what he had to do.

~~Back with Izuku and Bakugo~~

"You dumbass! What were you thinking back there? Your quirk isn't suited for fighting that kind of villain. You shouldn't have rushed in there."

Izuku took the criticism in stride. He knew that Bakugo wasn't truly angry at him. He was angry that he needed saving at all. It had wounded his pride. Izuku responded, "My body moved before I had a chance to think. You know how I am."

"Yeah, yeah. You're a hero right down to your piss. Whatever. Just don't expect a thank you. I'll cya later."

Bakugo turned off and walked home as Izuku continued on towards his own. That was about as close to a thank you as anyone was ever gonna get from Kaachan. He knew that by now.

As he was nearing his home, he was scared just about out of his skin by the appearance of All Might in front of him with a shout of, "I AM HERE!" In his shock, Izuku stumbled about his words asking why All Might was there.

After just a moment All Might transformed back into his normal form. He coughed for a few moments, and then spoke, "Young man, I came here to thank you, and to continue our discussion from earlier."

Midoriya was quick to reply as well, "There's no need to thank me, All Might. It was my fault the villain got out in the first place! I messed everything up. I'm very sorry."

All Might shook his head. "If you weren't able to act there after the conversation we had, I would never have become inspired enough to act. You helped me save people, and that is worthy of thanks. Furthermore, I must ask you a question. When you ran into that scene, trying to save that boy, you moved before you even had a chance to think, didn't you?"

Izuku felt his chest tighten up for the third time that day, but this time it was for a different reason. He nodded his head, forcing out a quiet yes. All Might continued, "That feeling you had earlier, what happened to you today, is what makes a hero a hero. So many heroes start off exactly the way you did today. Their bodies simply cannot allow them to sit still when there is the opportunity to help someone, and today, you were just like one of those heroes."

Izuku sat on his knees before All Might, the man who had been his idol for as long as he could remember, clutching his chest as All Might spoke the words he would remember for the rest of his life, "You have truly proven me wrong. Today, you were a hero. Young man, you can become a hero."

 **A/N:** **Hey all, sorry it's been so long. My upload schedule will likely be erratic, as I have a lot going on in my life right now, but I'll do my best to have less than two months between future updates, unlike this one. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!**


End file.
